Tasneim

I adore your kind eyes. like mine. they squint through rain to see the colours of light souls colliding with hearts worth more than material. I am your rib, arms outstretched to curve around and protect. vital organs. I know I give you trouble. shooting pains down your left arm, and chest. where your treasure lies. my head. kind eyes are the closest you'll ever get to crying because it was the last thing you shared with blood before you knew that they were dying. memories as warm as the Sand of Baghdad. 1950s. your sisters and mama and baba made home outside of home there. the first generation. of al Nakba begins. I know I give you trouble, you tell me I don't appreciate. I understand. as a man, how often is it you get to raise a family when you're a refugee? status: chasing papers and validity. I came right on time, home never seemed fragile because I never felt bombs rock me to sleep as my mama sang a lullaby. and a prayer. never seemed so urgent because you were always there. sacrifices, I never knew real sacrifices, because there's a difference between living life present and being ruled by the past's truth. so rather it's not a sacrifice but a reality I choose to take. I can't hold you forever and feel your buried pain, in the same boat, for tears are one thing my eyes cannot contain. dripping down, they'll fill our mobile home, causing us to drown in our deepest bluest sorrows. there's still hope, for your wisdom has kept you afloat. I look up to your kind eyes, to see eye. lashes. like arms outstretched, beating away to unharden hearts. I see blue skies, I'll test these waters in search for shores. Baba, I can swim, you can let your daughter go. #VitalOrgans #Poem #Poetry #SpilledInk #PoetsOfInstagram #PoetsOfIG #WritersOfInstagram #WritersOfIG #tasneimzyada #Empoword #AikSaath #HOMESlough #SpokenWord #PoetryInThePark

acceptance, accountability, compassion, courage, pain, exhaustion, malice, grief, grieving, you are still grieving, water, abundance, your name is a fountain in heaven and not enough tears scream out of your heart, your eyes are screaming, that’s why your soul is so loud, can you scream with your mouth yet, when are you going to give yourself permission to scream woman, woman, woman, woman, howling, do you feel grown yet, healing woman, howling into my fathers chest, held twice, apologised once, never danced with him, luther vandross, alone, women, are we done pointing fingers because it’s not like your hands are clean either, woman, i, know who I am, but don’t get to know me before I do, i love myself, with you, trouble trouble trouble, with you, I will let this strength go and set this path alight, woman on fire, don’t expect a sorry I’m too busy finding myself, but I can’t see the youth lose hope, I won’t see the youth lose hope, so again love, accept your heart, Allah, he asked me if I had any scars, my face in the mirror everyday, I see, what is the point in trying to forget anyway?

Caliban DAM made a song called Meen Erhabi in 2001 After Iraq, I heard that word thrown like a brick but we didn’t engage because mama and baba made home outside of home here The third generation of al Nakba lives in Slough. We found out our history and triggers by accident, they said “never forget”, but as tv screens got wider, buildings falling and arab bodies piling became the backdrop of my upbringing. In year three, Jasmine asked me “why are Muslims bad?” Enter Caliban whose introduced as a “savage, deformed slave”, His Mother from Algiers, called a witch and father rumoured to be the devil. I remember seeing mama cry for the first time when they assassinated sheikh Ahmed Yassin in his wheelchair with hellfire missles. We’re the immigrants’ kids that slipped under prevent’s radar, conspiracy theories at wet break yelling Bush did 9/11 so they could justify t#rror*sm, and If you stand under a trees in the evening jinns will chase you to silence in class. White teachers felt akin to the BBC what ever I say had to be PG Politically guided. Trying to learn my voice in quiet. Mama and Baba said study something where they’ll need you. A new generation of lawyers and doctors ready to litigate and heal in front of Du Bois veil. Suspected t#rr*st when they look at us. We argue too much. Zidan said “I’m French when I score and Algerian when I miss”. I’m a poet for the stage and Palestinian when they’re fundraising Do they really want poetry or a rhythm to complement the night? “You taught me language and profit on it”. What’s the point of words when you have to hide their truth for grant applications? Sponsors used to our truth being abstract So they think it pretty So they think it inspiring So they think it’s worth funding. Doing their part for the community as if to say “look at where you come from and now you’re here”. as if it’s a gift. “Hell is empty and all the devils are here”. Written and performed yesterday at @awanfestival 30/03/2024 for @artscanteen x @artsadm in @richmixlondon 🎥 @dulla.jpeg

Last single from our upcoming debut album, How We Love, connects Palestine, Cuba, Iran.💗 Palestinian-British poet Tasneim Zyada’s words carry an emotive longing for home that stretches beyond place into memory and dream, opening space for the longest strecth of music in the album where @PouyaEhsaei and Cuban musicians @yelfrisvaldes (trumpet) and @hammadivaldes (drums, congas) weave their sounds together and bring us back home – the “eternal garden”. The last words of the album are @ms.zyada ’s image of children born balling fists. With this we keep thinking of resistance, resilience, and love. Join us on 15 May for a live show and album launch @cafeotodalston Listen via link in @lipstomoon bio

📍 DELI THEATRE | £10 on the door or via @instituteartgreece eventbrite link | SATURDAY 31ST JAN 2026 | Starting: 5pm until 10pm | For those coming to see me specifically - I’m on in between 6:30-7:30pm, but please come to support the international life work folks touching the stage are gifting | My dear Athens family, we’ve been waiting for you to come to London, my deepest love to you ♥️ Dearest folks who’ve engaged & supported me for over a decade, I hope you can make it. This will likely be my last London show for the foreseeable future as I’m going on a performing sabbatical, unsure if I’ll come back to the stage at the end - but I want to share with you all some new words. Peace & much love till we connect next 🧡

“Because out of all the elements on Earth, and all the possibilities in life — Why would any woman ever stop moving?” ‘I Move’ Nisaa’s Film (2025) Directed and written by @noorzoui Videography by @byblancaruedas Voice Over by @tasneimzyada Produced by @groundedagency In collaboration with @_blacktogrey

Palestine Looks Back 🍉 Framing Palestine not simply as a land or a subject of Western scrutiny but as an active gaze directed toward Europe and the West, these films illuminate diverse Palestinian perspectives. Spanning fiction, documentary, and experimental forms, they challenge the notion of Palestine as an “elsewhere,” revealing the deep entanglements of occupation and genocide within Europe. They ultimately pose a crucial question: what is the role of Palestinian artists, if not to look back at the colonial structures that have led to the oppression and annihilation of their people? 🎬 30th Jan at @riversidestudioslondon 🎬 29th Jan at @riocinema - This screening will be followed by a spoken word performance by Palestinian poet @tasneimzyada Curated by filmmaker Theo Panagopoulos @theos_perspective whose film ‘The Flowers Stand Silently, Witnessing’ screened at LSFF25 winning a special mention for Best Documentary Short Film. 🎥: Elefsina Notre Amour dir. Mahdi Fleife The Goodness Regime dir. Jumana Manna and Sille Storihle @jumanamanna @sillestorihle It’s a long way from Amphioxus dir. Kamal Aljafari @kamalaljafarifilm They Live in Forests, They are Extremely Shy dir. Saeed Taji Farouky We began by measuring distance dir. Basma Alsharif @basmalsharif

We Are Free To Change The World: STEADY takes place next Thursday 22 January at Toynbee Studios. 👉 What does it mean to stay balanced and grounded in a shifting world? With a mix of live performance and discussion, we’ll explore ways of navigating identity, power and creative tension—both within ourselves and in our communities. 💫 The full *updated* list of speakers: 💬 natashawalter_writer – Writer and Campaigner 💬 Liz Slade - Chief Officer of the Unitarian movement in Britain 💬 @tasneimzyada - Spoken word artist, Poet and Voice over actor 💬 Mohammed Ali (@aliaerosol , @soulcityarts ) - Artist and Curator 💫 Featuring a special studio visit with @lourobbin_ - Lou Robbin - Multidisciplinary artist and Wellbeing practitioner 💫 And hosted by @burton.josephine - Artistic Director of Dash Arts 🎟️ Book tickets now and read more through @artsadm or link in bio. --- 📜 We Are Free To Change the World is a collaborative act between Artsadmin and Toynbee Studios resident, Dash Arts, and part of the Fête of Britain @thefeteofbritain . The series also celebrates Dash Arts’ 20th birthday, and 18th year in the building. #wearefreetochangetheworld #dashcafe #ourfuture

We Are Free To Change The World: STEADY takes place next Thursday 22 January at Toynbee Studios. 👉 What does it mean to stay balanced and grounded in a shifting world? With a mix of live performance and discussion, we’ll explore ways of navigating identity, power and creative tension—both within ourselves and in our communities. 💫 The full list of speakers: 💬 natashawalter_writer – Writer and Campaigner 💬 Liz Slade - Chief Officer of the Unitarian movement in Britain 💬 @corey_ma_campbell - Artistic Director, Belgrade Theatre, Coventry 💬 @tasneimzyada - Spoken word artist, Poet and Voice over actor 💫 Featuring a special studio visit with @lourobbin_ - Lou Robbin - Multidisciplinary artist and Wellbeing practitioner 💫 And hosted by @burton.josephine - Artistic Director of Dash Arts 🎟️ Book tickets now and read more through @artsadm or link in bio. --- 📜 We Are Free To Change the World is a collaborative act between Artsadmin and Toynbee Studios resident, Dash Arts, and part of the Fête of Britain @thefeteofbritain . The series also celebrates Dash Arts’ 20th birthday, and 18th year in the building. #wearefreetochangetheworld #dashcafe #ourfuture

This Wednesday at @brxhousetheatre come down for the screening of No Other Land and panel discussion with my fellow Falasteeni artists: filmmaker - Basil Khalil and researcher & artist - Jumanah Bawazir - @jumbawazir , hosted by yours truly. 🎟️ £5 Massive appreciation for @tobikyere for approaching me to hold this conversation ♥️. We have a lot to talk about, hope to see as many of you there. If you see this post pls engage to help get the word out, even if you can’t make it. Love. Link in bio

Memories, Emotions & the Power of Poetry Join London-based Palestinian poet Tasneim Zyada for an evening of creative exploration in her Memories & Emotions Poetry Workshop, part of her residency with Berwick Shines and the Berwick Literary Festival. Through a series of thoughtful, accessible exercises, Tasneim will guide participants in exploring the stories we carry – the ones passed down, the ones buried deep, and the ones waiting to be told. Her three-part structure – filling the well, filling your cup, expressing yourself – is designed to meet you wherever you are in your writing journey. 🗓 Thursday 9 October 🕕 6pm – 8pm 📍 The Straw Yard 🎟 £25 📘 Suitable for writers of all experience levels – from beginners to seasoned poets Tasneim will also perform a new commissioned poem at The Things That Make for Peace concert on Saturday night. 🔗 Browse our full Festival programme via our website – / – (link also in bio) #BerwickLitFest #TasneimZyada #PoetryWorkshop #CreativeWriting #PalestinianPoetry #ThingsThatMakeForPeace #TheStrawYard #WritingCommunity #BerwickShines #BerwickUponTweed @tasneimzyada @berwickshines

myself, @bintmbareh & @saied.silbak will be performing this Saturday for @festivalofpalestine ! Also, if you’re around in the evening, be sure to check out my peoples @yungyusuf_ @speit @professorzofficial ‼️❤️‍🔥 1st photo courtesy of the wonderful @yafa0mas 💖